James Moss
James Moss is an American singer, bassist and producer. He is well-known for his role in electro-rock group Phoenix Rising, as well as for his solo career both as a singer and as a producer for other artists. James was not part of Phoenix Rising's original line-up, instead being hired after original bassist Spike Williams was fired right before the release of the band's debut single. James has been with the band ever since; and in April 2011 he went solo for the first time when he released the Tango Challenge single "No Second Chances / Chica Boom" with the Bad Chicas. In 2012, James released his debut solo album "Jameson Dominic", which topped the UK album chart and to date has spawned three massive top 3 hits. James is also known for his role as one of the four judges on The Uraps Factor in its debut season, replacing original judge Paulo Araujo who had to withdraw for personal reasons. Early Life James Moss was born on January 7th, 1984; his parents divorced when he was five years old, and this caused a somewhat strained relationship with his father who retained custody. James believed that his father was homophobic, so James kept it to himself when he realised he was gay. During this time, James' taste in music was dance music, listening to a lot of 80's synth-pop and new wave, as well as the eurodance movement from the early-to-mid 90's. An alternative music boom in the mid-90's inspired James' decision to pick up and learn the bass guitar, and his overall interest in music is what fueled his desire to learn production. James went to college to learn technical production, and his father helped pay for his tuition; but James had to get a part-time job to help pay for his tuition, and so James took up a job as a dancer in a gay-oriented strip club. It was while working this job that James learned that his father was also gay, and this was the reason why James' parents divorced. Upon completing his college studies, James began writing his own material with a desire to break into the industry as a solo star. James borrowed money from his cousin Peter Moss in order to hire a producer and pay for studio time to record a demo. James tried unsuccessfully to market his demo CD to several record labels, but none took interest. James was just about to give up on his dream when his demo made its way into the hands of Victor Strong from Phoenix Rising. The band was looking for a new bassist after firing their original bassist Spike Williams, and they invited James to audition. James was immediately welcomed into the band, and he began working with the band on their debut album. Music Phoenix Rising Phoenix Rising formed in early 2008, made up of Victor Strong, Alexei Monaghan, Tobias Strait, Benjamin McAllister and Spike Williams. The five-piece band were preparing their debut album "Eye Of The Beholder", and were promoting their debut single "Rewritten" but after original bassist Spike Williams became heavily unpopular with audiences, he was fired from the band. The band got hold of James' demo CD and invited him to audition for them as a replacement bassist. James got on well with the band and was hired quickly, re-recording all of Spike's parts on the album. James was not completely comfortable with his skills as a producer at this time, and used the studio time with Max Martin, Dr. Luke and Howard Benson to learn a more hands-on and real-world application of his production skills. James produced only a small portion of the album. "Eye Of The Beholder" became a major success for the band in both the UK and America, spawning a number of hits in both territories. The album hit diamond certification in the UK with sales of over 1,000,000 copies with the support of six consecutive top 10 hits. The album was a platinum hit in the US. In 2010, James played a far greater role in the production of the band's sophomore album "Vermillion & Ash", executive-producing the album and the majority of its tracks. Also while working on the album, James executive-produced studio albums for Jessica Snow and Danelle Becker. Phoenix Rising became household names when "Vermillion & Ash" debuted at #1, as well as its lead single "Never Gonna Come Back Down", which was produced by Brian Transeau. The album was a massive UK success, with eight consecutive top 5 hits, two of which were chart-toppers (one of these was a solo release by James' bandmate Victor Strong who would later launch his own solo career). The album is currently the second-longest running album on the UK album chart, and is one of the top 10 biggest-selling albums of all time, with a double diamond certification for sales of over 2,000,000 copies. A content-heavy re-release also helped its UK performance. Phoenix Rising are working on their third studio album which is due in January 2013. ''"Jameson Dominic"'' Era James signed up to participate in the 2011 Tango Challenge, where he was paired up with the Bad Chicas. This was the first time both partners had gone solo - with James breaking away from Phoenix Rising for the release and the Bad Chicas breaking away from their sister Ximena. The collaborators recorded a double A-side single, "No Second Chances / Chica Boom", which charted at #3, making them the runners-up behind Brett Clarkson and Kenya. James did not include either Tango Challenge song on his debut album when he recorded it later in 2011, however he remixed solo b-side "Taste Of Poison" for inclusion on the album. In late 2011, James began working on his debut solo album "Jameson Dominic", named for his full given and middle names. James collaborated with Crystal Barker, Kleo, India-Skye and Ben Johnston on the album. "Jameson Dominic" was released in January 2012. "Jameson Dominic" was led by the single "Going Under", released on the same day as the album. The album went straight in at #1, and the single debuted at #3. The album version of "Going Under" features guest vocals from India-Skye, while a solo version was released as the single version. In April 2012, James released "Kingdom Hearts" as the second single from the album. The song debuted and peaked at #2 in a photo finish with Ruby & The Gems and Coral Harris who beat James to #1. The single has been an astounding success for James however, becoming one of the biggest hits of 2012, and being far more successful than any Phoenix Rising release. Alongside being a massive UK hit, "Kingdom Hearts" topped the Billboard Hot 100, making James the only one from Phoenix Rising to do so, as the band has never topped the chart themselves. At the end of May 2012, James followed up this monster hit with the Ben Johnston-penned "When A Heart Brakes", which was James' second consecutive #2 hit. James collaborated with newcomer Tyler on a remix of the song, which did not serve as the main single version, and was only released digitally. "Echoes Of Love" was revealed as the third American single in late June, after James revealed that his label in the US thought that "When A Heart Brakes" was too heavy for the market. The song was also chosen to give further exposure to featured artist Kleo, who was in the middle of launching her international career at the time. It was later announced that the song would serve as a digital-only promo single in the UK to support "Dominic Deluxe", an expanded edition of James' debut album with new material. "Gentleman Never Tells" was announced as the fourth official UK single from the album. It was released on August 20th, 2012, having been pushed back a week from its originally-announced release date to create extra distance between his own and Victor Strong's solo releases. The single became James' first solo #1 when it entered at the top of the chart. "Gravity" was released as the album's fifth single on October 29th, becoming James' sixth consecutive solo top 3 hit with a #2 peak, in a rematch between himself and Ruby & The Gems. A sixth and final single from the album will be released in December. Other Projects Alongside his duties to Phoenix Rising, his solo career and his job as a producer, James has launched a career in television. In late 2011, James appeared as a housemate in URAPS Big Brother 2011, where he became one of the most popular housemates, making it all the way to the grand final, where he placed 6th overall. Upon leaving the show, James entered into talks with the producers of The Uraps Factor, after originally hired judge Paulo Araujo vanished for personal reasons. Paulo had already filmed the initial stages of the show before having to leave, and James stepped in just in time for the judges' houses. Being the mentor for groups due to his role in Phoenix Rising, James used the Monaghan family ranch in Texas and its home studio as his location for that stage of the competition. Due to being pulled in at the last minute, James did not take anyone with him as a guest mentor. James' time on the show was not without controversy, with some questioning his loyalty to his own acts - also, his feud with Brett Clarkson was a point of contention with critics. James did not land any of his acts in the final, having his last act eliminated at the same time as Brett's last act, leaving the final four being made up of Candi's entire category. Aside from being a judge on the show, James performed twice - the first time promoting "Going Under" and the second time performing "Kingdom Hearts". Personal Life James has been diagnosed with mild psychopathy which manifests in times of great stress; it causes James to behave in an irrational, violent and confrontational manner. James is openly gay, and has only been known to have one serious relationship, when in 2009 he had a short-lived relationship with Ryan Dawson. The couple was happy for a short while, before Ryan cheated on him with Arwyn Knight, and later was engaged to be married to Jack Stevens, causing James an intense hatred of both Ryan and Jack. Despite this, a collaboration with Ryan recorded for Phoenix Rising's sophomore album was still released. James is known to have shot a sex tape with Angel Phillips prior to both parties discovering fame; although the tape has not been released or leaked, James acknowledges its existence and does not cite the partnership as a serious relationship. It is speculated that James may have been a source of inspiration for Angel's 2007 hit "Should Have Known You Were Gay". To date James has been romantically linked with Nicholas X, James Frost, Calvin Andrews and Tyler. The romantic links to Nicholas X and James Frost stem from their mutual involvement in URAPS Big Brother 2011. James and Nicholas shared a bed while in the house, although a serious relationship never emerged despite fan interest. James also denies being romantically involved with James Frost, who he also met in the Big Brother House. The two James have been dubbed J-Squared by themselves and by fans, and many believe that there is more than just a 'bromance' going on between the two James, despite several denials by both. James has also denied ties to Tyler and Calvin Andrews, both recent suspected boyfriends; James considers Tyler as a little brother to himself, and Calvin as a friend. After events that took place at the 22nd URAPS Awards, James entered into a relationship with J-Squared partner James Frost, announcing their romance a month and a half after the show following extensive speculation that their 'bromance' status had been upgraded. James has been candid about his desire to start a family, and is set to adopt the unborn child of BLOOM's Kirstie Edwards. James has shown considerable dislike for male popstars Brett Clarkson, Kirby L. Avalon and Lucas Brandt for their more sexually-driven personas and for (in his view) their lack of any remarkable talent. Controversy James' mild psychopathy has gotten him in trouble with the law; first, when it was discovered that Ryan Dawson was cheating on him with Arwyn Knight, James became incredibly violent toward Ryan and Arwyn, getting hold of a gun and threatening the two before eventually calming down. Nobody was hurt, although James was arrested and had to be released on bail. Later in 2010, following the attempted suicide of brother-figure and Phoenix Rising bandmate Tobias Strait, James again turned violent when repeated attempts to visit Tobias in hospital were denied by security. James attempted to take hostages in order to see Tobias but was once again apprehended by law enforcement. James has met with controversy regarding his career; James borrowed money from elder cousin Peter Moss to fund the recording of his demo CD, and in 2012 Peter Moss filed a lawsuit against James claiming that Peter was entitled to a cut of every single dollar James earned during the life of his career from the time James made it big. This lawsuit was overturned and Peter Moss was charged with fraud. Later, James was caught in another lawsuit, this time filed by himself against an adoption agency that rejected James' application to adopt. James accused the agency of discrimination against him for his sexuality, and the courts ruled in James' favour, with James winning the right to adopt from the agency. As a matter of principle however, James turned the agency down and instead advocated the boycott of the adoption agency. Aside from James' legal controversy, he has also been met with criticism over his television career, in particular his role as a judge on The Uraps Factor. Critics of the show consider it to be "unprofessional" the way James and arch-rival Brett Clarkson fight each other on national television, a view that also reflects negatively on the producers that hired the two. James personally has also been criticised for being disloyal to his own acts, after choosing to eliminate Asian girl group Kimono from the competition following a poorly-received performance, despite them being one of the acts from his own category. James' judgement was questioned especially when Sebastien LeBlanc, the act he saved instead of Kimono, was eliminated the following week. Discography Albums Singles Awards & Accolades